PV TRAINING

Course Schedule

Day 1      4 hours

Introduction

• Discuss experience, class objectives and structure
• Discuss students interests and goals
• Differentiate between Entry Level NABCEP exam and Installer Certification exam
• org site and application for exam
• Share various installed system and show photos

 

Day 2      4 hours

Solar and Electricity Basics

• What is Solar Energy? Physics/Chemistry and Electrical properties of DC series modules.
• Energy vs Power (kwh vs kw)
• PV Math review (Algebra, decimals, percentages)
• Electrical Review ( Watts Law, Ohms Law, series vs parallel, DC vs AC)
• Grid-tied Production estimate and Array sizing

 

Day 3      4 hours

SAFETY! 

• Discussion of potential injuries
• PPE equipment analysis (show and tell)
• Safety (fall protection, PPE, OSHA)
• Electrical dangers, use of Multimeter, importance of grounding

 

Day 4      4 hours

Design factors

• Design factors, orientation and shading
• PV Watts and derates
• Sun Path Charts and Altitude Angle method of shade analysis  (Trigonometry)
• Optimal tilt and Distance between rows

 

Day 5      4 hours

Production Estimates

• IV curves and standard test conditions (STC)
• Discuss temperature and voltage effects on power and other test conditions
• Calculate Vmax , Vmin , String sizing , and estimating actual (non STC) production of operating systems

 

Day 6      4 hours  
Stand Alone Systems

• Batteries
• Charge Controllers
• Stand Alone inverters
• Bimodal vs. Hybrid
• Sizing stand-alone systems (critical design ratio, critical design month, autonomy)
• Oversizing the Battery Bank to avoid loss of system availability during critical design month

 

Day 7      4 hours
Inverters and Monitoring

• Static inversion vs. magnetic induction
• Sting Inverters
• Microinverters and DC optimizers MPPT
• Monitoring

 

Day 8      4 hours

Mechanical integration

 

• Types of Mounts and racking (Stand-off, flat roof ballasted, ground, etc)
• Power Density and panel layout
• Loads (dynamic and dead) , withdraw loads of attachments
• Passing system (non-electrical) inspection

 

Day 9      4 hours
Electrical Integration & NEC code part I

 

• Study National Electrical Code, NFPA 70 (NEC); look stuff up
• Identifying circuits between components
• AMPACITY and wire sizing
• Imax for DC side and AC side
• Conditions of Use and derating ampacity and calculating minimum ampacity

Day 10    4 hours
Electrical Integration & NEC code part II

• Overcurrent Protection (OCPD , NEC article 240)
• Grounding and Bonding (NEC 250)
• Interconnection (NEC 705), demand side and supply side tie-ins , sub panels and 120% rule
• Voltage Drop
• Maintaining systems, trouble shooting
• PROBLEMS! PROBLEMS!  PROBLEMS!

 

                4 hours
Review

• Practice tests
• Problems from Holt Books
• Problems from White Books
• PROBLEMS PROBLEMS PROBLEMS!!!

 

                4 hours

Hands-On/ Lab   (preparation for solar brigades, materials list, discussion of components)

• Stand-alone system build
• Measurement of voltages and currents
• Determine further LAB exercises and system designs

 

Total       >40 hours   (classroom and lecture)